Meeting You
by jessid111590
Summary: This is the prequel to Consequences of One Night. This starts off with Emily and Hotch meeting each other in college at Yale and will end with the season 7 finale (Hit/Run).
1. Chapter 1

Meeting You Ch. 1

**AN: I don't own Criminal Minds or its characters. I am just using them for my selfish purposes. The characters that I own are Bianca (will be used later on in Consequences) and Jen. This is the Prequel to my story Consequences of One Night. I decided to make Aaron and Emily only three years apart for both stories. In this story, Emily is 21 and Aaron is 24. Later on this will include episodes from Criminal Minds seasons 2-7.  
**

Emily had just return from her mentoring session, with Tina, when she noticed that Bianca was sulking on the couch in the living room of the Kappa Alpha Theta house.

"What's up, B?" Emily asked as she stopped to check up on her little sister.

"Matt and I broke up again. I think we are truly done this time," Bianca said as she looked up at Emily.

"I'm sorry about that but didn't I tell you that it was coming," Emily said as she headed for her room.

"Yes you did but that doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt," Bianca said as she followed Emily to their room.

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm just a little crabby from dealing with Tina's parents again today," Emily said as she put her bag down on her bed.

"What happened this time?" Bianca said as she laid down on her bed.

"The same stuff as always; berating her about her grades, talking bad about the friends that she brings home, saying racist stuff about them," Emily said as her phone rang. "Hello."

"Is this Emily Prentiss?" the caller asked.

"Yes, who is this?" Emily asked as she put the phone on speaker.

"This is Sam Kassmeyer from your Developmental Psychopathology class," the caller stated. "I was wondering if you wanted to meet up and form a study group for the class."

"Sure, where did you want to meet up?" Emily said as she looked at Bianca.

"How about we meet up at Toad's?" Sam asked.

"Sure. Who else will be joining us?" Emily asked as she winked at Bianca.

"My friend Aaron, who is also in the class," Sam said as a door shut behind him.

"I'll bring my friend Bianca with me. She's not in the class but she hasn't been to Toad's just yet," Emily said as Bianca tried to protest. "We'll meet you guys there for 8."

"That'll work for us," Sam said before hanging up the phone.

"Looks like we have plans for tonight," Emily said to Bianca. "And a way for you to get your mind off Matt, as well."

"Why do you want me to go with you?" Bianca asked Emily as she started going through her closet.

"Because you've never been to Toad's and I don't want to go alone," Emily said as she grabbed her favorite mini skirt and a tank top. "Besides these two guys are pretty good looking."

Ten Minutes after eight o'clock

"Ok, Em, where the hell are these guys?" Bianca asked as they walked around the club for a second time.

"They'll be here, especially if Sam wants to set up a study group," Emily said as she spotted Sam at the bar. "Sam's at the bar now."

"Which guy is he?" Bianca asked as they headed towards the bar.

"The medium height guy with sandy brown hair currently talking to the bartender," Emily said. "Add one apple martini and a pina colada to his tab please."

"Emily Prentiss, I presume," Sam said as he turned to face the girls.

"Yep and this is my friend Bianca Steffy," Emily said as the bartender handed them their drinks.

"My friend Aaron is currently holding a table for us near the back," Sam said as he grabbed the beers and began leading the girls to the table. "Aaron Hotchner, this is Emily Prentiss and Bianca Steffy."

"Miss Prentiss, Miss Steffy, it's nice to meet you," Aaron said as he shook each girl's hand. "Sam said that you might be someone who could help us with studying for our developmental psychopathology class, Miss Prentiss; I hope he is right."

"How did you even get my number, Mr. Kassmeyer?" Emily asked as she slid into the booth next to Aaron.

"The professor recommended you when she heard us talking about studying for this class," Sam said as he slid in next to Bianca. "So we decided to set this up."

"Well I'm willing to try working with you guys but it will have to be on my terms and around my schedule," Emily said as she sipped her apple martini. "I do have a job that I am at three times a week, my other linguistics classes, and the sorority things."

"Are you up to giving us a schedule tonight?" Aaron asked as he looked at her. "By the way, what year are you?"

"This is my junior year here at Yale," Emily said as she looked at Aaron. "Anyone have some paper? I'll give you a rough schedule since the sorority is still trying to figure out our events for this semester."

"I'll go see if I can get a piece of paper from the bar," Sam said as he stood from the booth.

"I'll come with you," Bianca said as Emily raised her eyebrows at her.

Emily and Aaron sat at the table for five minutes before Emily decided to go looking for her little sister.

"I'm going to go look for them," Emily said as she stood up.

"What trouble could they get into?" Aaron asked as he also stood from the booth.

"Bianca is an ambassadors daughter just like me so she knows how to slip away from people," Emily said as they walked towards the bar. "Not to mention she and her boyfriend just broke up."

"That's where I've heard about you," Aaron said as he looked out onto the dance floor.

"Where?" Emily asked as they finally reached the bar.

"My mother has been in attendance to a few of your mother's fundraisers over the years," Aaron said as he spotted Sam and Bianca out on the dance floor. "There they are. Let's leave them alone and start on a study schedule."

"Ok," Emily said as she also spotted Matt watching Bianca dance with Sam. "Got any paper?"

"Sure. Here you go," the bartender said before heading back to mix more drinks.

"Did you two read chapter 1-3 from last week yet?" Emily asked as they sat back in the booth.

"I did, Sam just asked for my notes; like usual," Aaron said as he watched her write down her schedule. "So what's your major?"

"I'm here for linguistics, mostly for my mother but it does interest me a little bit," Emily said as she continued with her schedule. "I want to work for the FBI someday though; preferably the Behavioral Analysis Unit. So what about you?"

"FBI really?" Aaron asked with a small laugh. "I'm studying law, hoping to become a lawyer; like my father."

"Aaron? What are you doing here?" said a girl as she walked over to the table.

"Haley Brooks, this is Emily Prentiss," Aaron said as he introduced the girls. "She is helping me and Sam study for our developmental psychopathology class."

"It was nice to meet you. Aaron, I've left my schedule and when we can meet up to go over certain things," Emily said before finishing off her martini. "Make sure that Sam gets a copy and try and make him do his own reading for a change."

"When is our first get together?" Sam said as he and Bianca joined the group back at the table.

"Monday," Emily said as she slid out of the booth. "I'll see you both Monday night at 7 p.m. in the library. Bianca, I'll see you when you get back to the house. Oh and Sam, start taking your own notes on the readings."

"Shit, you told her about that?" Sam asked as he looked over at Aaron.

"Yes he did," Emily said with a smile. "Night, everyone."

**AN2: Please review! Remember this is how I chose to begin Aaron and Emily's story. This will eventually lead all the way up to the start of Consequences of One Night.**


	2. Chapter 2

Meeting You Ch. 2

The next three days were hell on Emily. Between classes, working with Tina, and scheduling sorority things, she was making flash cards to quiz Sam and Aaron when they met up on Monday night.

"Hey, Em, are you going out to Toad's tonight?" Bianca asked as she sat down on Emily's bed.

"I wasn't planning on it. Why?" Emily asked as she looked at Bianca.

"Sam invited us to go and hang out with him and a few of his friends from Sigma Alpha Epsilon," Bianca said as she handed Emily a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"He's part of Sigma?" Emily asked as she began to change.

"Yea. It's going to be him, Aaron, Stephen, John, Joe, and Will," Bianca said as she watched Emily's face light up at hearing that Aaron was going to be there.

Bianca knew, from Sam, that Aaron was dating Haley but she had never seen Emily look at any guy the way she looked at Aaron. She knew that Emily was really standoffish when it came to guys because of what happened when she was fifteen; but Emily didn't have a problem with Aaron or Sam.

"Besides you can just put it off as setting up a crush party with the Sigma's," Bianca said as Emily pulled on her black boots.

"So is it just going to be us or did you get a group of the girls to come with us?" Emily asked as they headed for the kitchen.

"Jen's coming because she is the president and then just a few juniors and sophomores," Bianca said as Jen walked out of the kitchen.

"You guys ready?" Jen asked as she grabbed her coat. "Thanks for setting this up, Em. I didn't realize that you knew Sigma Alpha Epsilon's president so well."

"B, who is Sigma's president?" Emily asked as the group started walking towards Toad's.

"Aaron Hotchner is Sigma's president. I thought you noticed the ring on his hand when we met with him and Sam on Tuesday night," Bianca said as Emily stared at her.

"So did you, by any chance, tell the Sigma guys that I set this up as well as Jen?" Emily asked quietly just as the Sigma's joined their group.

"No, Sam did call and ask if we wanted to go to Toad's. I asked if Aaron was going to be there because Jen had been trying to get a hold of him to set up a crush party," Bianca said as they arrived at Toad's. "I just told Jen that it was your idea because you happen to have class with Sigma's President and Vice President."

"Emily, Bianca, glad that you could join in the party tonight," Sam said as Emily snickered when Jen latched onto Aaron. "He's going to kill me later for that one."

"Let's just say you probably won't be the only one in his sights tonight," Emily said as they commandeered four tables. "Bianca, here, told Jen that I set up this meeting. Come on, B, let's go get ourselves a drink."

Five minutes and four beers later, the girls were back at the table.

"Since when do you two drink beer?" Sam asked as Emily put a beer in front of him and Aaron. "What happened to the apple martini and pina colada?"

"We drink beer all the time actually," Emily said as she sat next to Aaron. "Tuesday was a bad day for me so I wanted the vodka without having to taste it."

"Sam, Miss Prentiss, can I speak to both of you quickly?" Aaron said as Jen went to get a drink.

"I told you," Emily said as she followed Sam and Aaron outside the club.

"Seriously Sam?" Aaron asked as they stood outside. "As if I didn't have enough to deal with right now, I am now planning a crush party with the Theta's. And you, Miss Prentiss, setting up this get together to ambush me into meeting with your President for a crush party."

SMACK!

"How dare you," Emily said after slapping Aaron across the face. "For one thing, I didn't even know that you were President of Sigma until I left the house this evening."

"Aaron, she had no idea. Hell, she wasn't even going to come to Toad's tonight," Sam said as he helped Aaron off the ground. "I called Bianca to see if the girls wanted to get together tonight. Jen was in the room and asked if there was any way you were going to be here to talk about the crush party."

"She had no idea?" Aaron asked as they headed back towards the club.

"None at all. Now you'd better find a way to apologize to her or else we are both screwed for developmental psychopathology," Sam said as he headed towards the group of Theta's and Sigma's. "Where did Emily go?"

"She left. What the hell did Aaron say to her?" Bianca asked before taking a drink of her beer.

"He accused her of setting this night up as an ambush to get him to meet your President for a crush party," Sam said as he watched Jen catch Aaron again.

"No wonder she's pissed off," Bianca said as they watched Aaron try and get away from Jen. "Is that a handprint starting to show up on his face?"

"Yea, Emily has one hell of a backhand," Sam said.

"She smacked him?" Bianca asked as she remembered the look on Emily's face as she came back into grab her stuff. "You are both screwed if he can't find a way to apologize to her by Monday night. You two are the first guys that she's even let into her space as friends."

"Yea, she smacked him pretty good," Sam said as he looked at the handprint on Aaron's face. "Why's that?"

"She had some shit go wrong for her when she was younger and she's never really trusted any guys until you two," Bianca said as she stood to go get another drink. "I'm going to go get myself another drink and try and get Jen away from Aaron so that he can go and save both your asses for your class."

Emily's POV

Emily sat on the stairs of the Theta house remembering why she refused to trust guys.

_Flashback_

_Six Years Ago_

"_Come on, Em. It'll be fun," John Cooley said as they laid next to each other on her bed in Italy._

"_Seriously, Cooley, I get that your horny but that isn't going to happen," Emily said as she looked at the clock. "Besides I have to go and meet Matt in twenty minutes."_

"_What's up with you and him?" John asked as he stood up._

"_He's my best friend and one of the few friends that I actually have in this godforsaken country," Emily said as she put her tennis shoes on._

_Three weeks later_

_John, Matthew, and Emily were all sitting out in the courtyard of the Ambassador's mansion doing tequila shots and smoking hashish._

"_I can't believe it," Matt said as he looked at Emily. "Your mother just signed up for another year here without even thinking to talk to you about it."_

"_Yea, I know, but that's always how Elizabeth Prentiss does things," Emily said. "I just can't wait until I can go to college and get away from her and all the politics."_

"_Mr. Benton, you parents just rang. They would like you to head home," the housekeeper called._

"_I'll see you at school tomorrow, Em," Matt said before giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Later, Cooley._

"_Bye, Matt," Emily said as he headed for the gate._

_An hour and another bottle of tequila later, Emily was thoroughly wasted. John knew this was his only chance of getting into Emily Prentiss' pants before he left next week._

"_Em, come on, let's get you upstairs," John said as he picked her up in his arms._

_After ten minutes of struggling, he had both of their clothes off and was working her up._

_Twenty minutes later, John had cum and was gone._

_When Emily woke up, she noticed that she was naked and that there was blood staining her sheets. She had no idea what the hell had happened after Matt had left her and John alone._

_It wasn't until a month and a half later, when Matt brought her her morning coffee, that Emily knew something was wrong. The smell of coffee turned her stomach so much that she ran directly to the women's room. _

"_Em, is there any way in hell that you might be pregnant?" Matt asked as he handed her a glass of water._

"_Maybe. There is one night that John stayed later than you and I don't remember much after you left," Emily said as she put her head between her knees. "I woke up naked with blood staining my sheets."_

"_Jesus Christ Emily. He most likely raped you and got you pregnant," Matt said as he grabbed her hand. "We are going to go and have you checked out, then we'll decide what to do after we know for sure."_

_Seven days later, Emily had been told that she was in fact just over a month pregnant._

"_So what did the doctor say?" Matt asked as he handed her a sandwich for lunch._

"_I'm pregnant. Matt, what am I supposed to do?" Emily asked as she laid her head down on the table top. "I'm way to fucking young to have a baby."_

"_I did some checking into certain things. It's all up to you," Matt said as he rubbed her back. "We can give this baby a life, give it up for adoption, or you can have an abortion."_

"_I can't ask you to give up everything you have planned in life to help me with this baby," Emily said as she picked at her sandwich. "And there is no way for me to go nine months without showing. So that just leaves me with getting an abortion."_

"_We are going to have to go to Milan," Matt said as he gathered Emily into a hug._

_Three days later, Matt and Emily were on the train to Milan. After a three hour train ride and a twenty minute taxi ride, they arrived at the clinic._

"_Em, I'll be right out here waiting for you," Matt said as the nurse waited to take Emily back to the examination room._

_Three hours later, Emily and Matt were back on the train headed back to Rome._

"Miss Prentiss?" Aaron said as he sat down next to her on the stairs of Theta house.

"My name is Emily," Emily said as she looked up at Aaron. "Now what can I do for you, Aaron?"


	3. Chapter 3

Meeting You Ch. 3

"_My name is Emily," Emily said as she looked at Aaron. "Now what can I do for you, Aaron?"_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Right, Emily. I just wanted to apologize for how I acted earlier," Aaron said as he looked over at her. "Sam told me that you had no idea that Jen wanted to talk about planning a crush party."

"No, I had no idea. Like I said, I didn't even know that you were the President of Sigma until I left the house tonight," Emily said. "Bianca told Jen that I set up the meeting with you and Sam but it was really Sam who called and asked if we wanted to meet up with you guys at Toad's."

"How did you not notice this?" Aaron said as he showed her his Sigma ring.

"I wasn't paying attention on Tuesday night; it had been a long day for me," Emily said. "Sam told you to come apologize, didn't he?"

"Yea but I would have on Monday night any ways because I really don't want to fail one of the final classes I need before I graduate," Aaron said with a small smile.

"Why take developmental psychopathology if you want to be a lawyer?" Emily asked.

"My minor is in psychology and I needed to take a level 400 class before graduation in December," Aaron said as he stood to leave. "Sam also talked me into it. Why are you taking it, if you are a linguistics major?"

"I like psychology and it pisses my mother off," Emily said as she headed for the front door. "Have a good night, Aaron."

Monday Night

Emily had just spent the last half an hour talking with her linguistics advisor about what classes she needed to take next semester. When she finally glanced at her watch, during the meeting, she realized she only had an hour to get back to the house, eat dinner, change, and then head out to meet Aaron and Sam at the library.

"Dr. Sayer, I'm afraid we are going to have to talk about this, more in depth, later on this week," Emily said as she headed for the door. "I'm already late for an appointment."

"How about Friday after class? Does that work for you?" Dr. Sayer asked as he looked at the time.

"That should be fine. Have a good evening, Dr. Sayer," Emily said as she left his office.

By time she made it back to the house all she had time for was a quick shower and a change of clothes before heading for the library.

"Got time for dinner?" Jen asked as she set the table.

"Actually, I don't tonight. I'm helping Sigma's President and Vice President study for developmental psychopathology," Emily said as she grabbed a bottle of water and heading for the front door.

"Remind Aaron that I still need to talk to him about the crush party," Jen said.

"Jen, he's got enough on his plate right now. I'll help you plan the party and just give him the details of when and where," Emily said as she left the house.

After the ten minute walk to the library, Emily was wishing that she had grabbed an apple from the fruit basket to tide her over until the study session ended.

"Here, you look like you need this," Aaron said as he handed her a bag of fast food. "I take it your advisor got to you too? Sam is going to be a little late since his ambushed him on the way back to the house."

"Thank you. Yes, my advisor stopped me but luckily I was able to reschedule the full talk about classes until Friday after his class. You're so lucky, you don't have to deal with it anymore," Emily said as she began unpacking her backpack. "Oh, you owe me big time by the way."

"What do I owe you for?" Aaron asked as he grabbed his developmental psychopathology book from the table.

"I just took over your part in planning the Theta/Sigma crush party. Now all you have to do is show up when and where I say," Emily said as she started writing out a question on a note card.

"Why did you do that?" Aaron asked as he watched her.

"Jen wanted me to remind you that you still need to talk about the party tonight," Emily said as she began another note card. "Besides this isn't my first time or last time planning a crush party because the fraternity President had a lot on his plate to deal with. I'm basically the resident party planner at Theta."

"Sorry I'm late," Sam said as he grabbed the bag of fast food. "Got enough for both of us, I see? Thanks. You got stuck too didn't you?"

"Yes I got stuck but managed to get out after a half an hour with a promise to meet back up on Friday," Emily said as she looked at her book. "Are you guys ready to be quizzed? I'll let you have your notes out for the first 20 questions then no more notes."

"Seriously, right to work?" Sam asked as he munched on a french fry.

"We've already engaged in small talk," Emily said with a smile. "Besides I've already told Aaron, here, that I have taken over his duty of planning the Theta/Sigma crush party with Jen. Now all I have to do is think about how he's going to pay me back."

"Hey I thought pay back was in the form of the food I got you," Aaron said as he looked at Emily.

"You got the food for Sam. You had no way of knowing that I had also gotten caught up by my advisor," Emily said as she grabbed her book. "Let's start with this question: Who played a pivotal role in the development of the field of developmental psychopathology?"

"That would be Dante Cicchetti from Harvard University," Aaron said with a smile.

"Correct. Now name one form of developmental psychopathology found in children?" Emily asked as she watched the two search their notes.

"Jesus, Emily, there are so many things that it could be," Sam said as he looked in his book.

"But this one was mention in chapter 3 first," Emily said as she looked in the book. "We have yet to read about the others just yet."

"Here it is. Its conduct disorder," Aaron said as he found the subject in his notes.

An hour and a half, 50 questions, and some laughs later.

"Aaron, what are you still doing here?" Haley said as she walked up to the group.

"Studying for developmental psychopathology," he said as he kissed her on the cheek.

"Shit, what time is it?" Emily asked as she gathered up her things.

"Almost 10, why?" Sam asked as he watched her put her things in her bag.

"Crap, I still have a paper to write up for my American Medicine and the Cold War class tomorrow morning," Emily said as she stood to walk towards the entrance to the library. "I'll call you with a time to meet up on Friday, Sam, since I don't know what time I'll be done with my meeting. Nice to see you again, Haley. I'll see you two tomorrow in class."

"Did I say something to scare her off?" Haley asked as she worriedly looked at the guys.

"I have no clue," Aaron said as he looked over at his girlfriend. "Sam, any ideas?"

Emily's POV

Emily sighed as she got back to the house. She hadn't been lying when she said she had a paper to write but she also felt weird being around Aaron and his girlfriend.

"Did you talk to him?" Jen asked as Emily walked into the house.

"I told him that I would take over his spot in planning," Emily said as she sat next to Jen on the couch. "I know you really want to plan this thing with him but he's got a lot going on with getting ready to graduate at the end of this semester."

"And what are you getting out of this little deal of yours?" Jen asked angrily. "Sex with another one of the fraternity presidents?"

"What are you talking about? I've never had sex with any of the fraternity presidents that I've helped plan parties for," Emily said as she stood to head to her room. "What I'm getting will probably be a few VHS's and nothing more."

"Whatever," Jen said. "Everyone around campus knows what a slut you are."

Emily took a step back at the comment.

"Jen, listen to me. I've only had sex once in my life and it wasn't even my choice," Emily yelled with tears in her eyes. "So before you get all sanctimonious on me you need to realize there are very few people who know me; the only person here would be Bianca. Now you can give me your answer if you want my help planning this party tomorrow morning or you can try and convince Aaron to help you with it."

With that Emily left the living room for her bedroom, where she sank down onto her bed and sobbed into her pillow.


	4. Chapter 4

Meeting You Ch. 4

The next morning Emily left the house early so that she didn't have to deal with Jen. As she sat in the library, she noticed that her developmental psychopathology book wasn't in her bag.

"Did anyone leave a developmental psychopathology book here?" Emily asked the circulation attendant.

"Not that I know of. I'll go check the back room though just to make sure," the attendant said. "Nope it's not back there."

"Thanks, maybe one of my study partners grabbed it for me," Emily said as she headed back to her table to write her paper.

Ten minutes and one paper on American Medicine and the Cold War later, Emily decided to call Sam to see if he had her book.

"Sam, did you or Aaron pick up my developmental psychopathology book last night? I can't seem to find it anywhere," Emily asked as she walked towards her American Medicine class. "If one of you does have it, can you bring it to class for me?"

"Aaron was supposed to drop it off at your house last night after he left the library," Sam said. "He left about ten minutes after you did."

"Did you see him when he got back to your house last night?" Emily asked as she thought about the argument that she and Jen had had and if the windows were open.

"I did, he looked a little stressed out but I thought it was because of the study session then Haley showing up," Sam said. "Why? What are you thinking?"

"I have a feeling that he heard my argument with Theta's president last night," Emily said as she stood outside her classroom door. "Not exactly something that he should have heard."

"I'll expect you to explain sometime in the near future," Sam said as Emily headed into class.

After almost two hours of class, another assignment, and more hiding out in the library, Emily noticed that she still had an hour and a half until she had to head to her developmental psychopathology class. She didn't want to head back to the Theta house, and was trying to avoid another argument with Jen, but knew that she needed to eat something.

As she rounded the corner of the Theta house, she noticed Aaron sitting on the front porch.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Emily asked as she climbed the stairs.

"I came to bring you your book. You left it at the library last night," Aaron said as she opened the front door.

"How long have you been sitting out here?" Emily asked as she put her bag on the foyer floor.

"Just ten minutes," Aaron said as he stood to leave.

"Did you want to grab something for lunch?" Emily asked as she watched him. "I was just coming back here to grab my car so I could head out for lunch."

"Sure," Aaron said.

"Give me just a minute to switch the books in my bag and then we can head out," Emily said as she headed into the house. "You can come in. I believe Jen is out right now."

"Mind if I call Sam and see if he wants to join us, we could use a little more study time?" Aaron asked as he walked into the foyer.

"Not at all," Emily said as she noticed her bedroom door closed with a sock on the door knob. "In fact, I'll see if Bianca wants to join us as well."

As she walked into her room, she covered her eyes. Just a second into her switching books, Sam's cell phone rings.

"I suggest, next time, you make sure that I'm not heading back here before my next class," Emily said as she looked at Bianca. "Since you are both here, you are coming out to lunch with Aaron and I. So I suggest that you get dressed."

"Emily, was that Sam's ringtone I heard coming from back there?" Aaron asked as he walked towards her voice.

"You would be correct," Emily said as she moved out of her doorway for him to see the two gathering their clothes. "We'll leave you two alone to get dressed and if you aren't out in the living room in five minutes, I will be forced to come back and check on you."

Ten minutes and two right turns later, Aaron had pulled into the parking lot of Golden Rock Pizza.

"I hope everyone is okay with this," Aaron said as they all got out of the car.

"It's fine with me. Hey Papa Joe," Emily said as they walked into the pizza place.

"Aaron, Emily, Sam, what are you guys doing here? And who is this?" Papa Joe asked as he looked at the group that entered his establishment.

"Wait a minute, you know Papa Joe?" Aaron and Sam asked Emily as she led them to a table.

"Yes she does and she was one of my best waitresses on Saturday nights," Papa Joe said as he talked with the group.

"Thank you. I worked here during my freshman year as a way to earn extra cash so that I didn't have to deal with my mother," Emily said as she looked at the menu. "This is my little sister, Bianca."

"Hi, my name is Alicia and I'll be your….," Alicia said before she looked at who was sitting at the table. "Hey, Em, what are you doing here?"

"Getting lunch before my developmental psychopathology class this afternoon," Emily said as she watched Aaron's eyes go wide. "Guys, this is Alicia, Vice President of Theta."

"And who are these two?" Alicia said with raised eyebrows.

"This is Aaron and Sam. They are both part of my developmental psychopathology class and study group," Emily said making sure not to state their last names. "Are we ready to order?"

"Yep," the guys and Bianca said as they took one last look at their menus.

"So what will you guys have?" Alicia asked getting her notepad ready to take their order.

"I'll have a small meat lover's pan pizza with a Mountain Dew," Emily said.

"How about we make it two large meat lover's pizzas with two pitchers of Mountain Dew?" Aaron asked. "Does that work for everyone?"

"That's fine with us," Emily and Bianca said.

"Works for me," Sam said as he handed Alicia everyone's menus.

"Why didn't you say Aaron and Sam's last names when you were talking to Alicia?" Bianca whispered to Emily.

"I don't want her to go back to Jen and say that we were meeting with Sigma's president and vice president and not trying to persuade Aaron into working with her on the crush party," Emily whispered back.

"What are you two whispering about over there?" Sam asked as he watched the girls go back and forth.

"Nothing important," Emily said as she turned her head back to look at the guys.

"How many crush parties have you planned?" Aaron asked Emily.

"In my three years here, it's been about six. I did one of the Theta/Sigma parties last year when Roger was unable to help plan," Emily said as she picked at her fingernails. "All I really need from you is a list of themes and a few things to go off of with each theme."

"Roger never said anything about it when I was elected this year," Aaron said.

"Yea, that's one of my conditions. Outgoing president cannot tell incoming president or else incoming president is stuck planning. You'll get my contract once Jen agrees to allow me to plan the party," Emily said as she looked at him. "By the way how much of Jen and my argument did you happen to hear last night?"

"Sam told you that I was supposed to stop over last night with your book?" Aaron asked as he sheepishly looked away from Emily.

"Yea, I called him when I couldn't find my book this morning," Emily said with a laugh.

"Sorry about that. I heard all of it," Aaron said as he looked back at her. "Why were you two even arguing?"

"It's ok. She was being a bitch because she really wants to plan the party with you," Emily said as she looked over at Bianca and Sam. "It's like she doesn't trust me even though she's seen me plan these things before."

"Here you guys go," Alicia said as she placed both pizzas on the table.

"Thanks," Emily said as Alicia headed back to the kitchen.

"So when will I get your terms?" Aaron said as he grabbed a slice of pizza.

"I should be able to give them to you on Friday when we meet up to study for our test next week," Emily said as she handed Bianca a slice of pizza. "I plan on talking to Jen about it when I get home, from work, this evening."

Friday Evening

"Your signature is needed on the last page," Emily said as she handed Aaron her standard crush party planning contract. "I'll need themes and a few details about each by next Friday; have the guys help you out with themes. I'll give you the time and place once we get everything figured out."

Aaron just looked at the three page contract that the raven haired girl placed in front of him.

"You managed to get this together in three days with school, work, and homework?" Aaron asked as he began to read the paper.

"It's my standard crush party contract," Emily said as she got her books out of her bag. "It's just something that is just waiting to be changed and printed depending on the fraternity."

"Does this extend to me since I will become president when he graduates at the end of this semester?" Sam asked as he sat down next to Aaron.

"I guess but I will only plan one party for you," Emily said as she went through her flash cards.

"One party a semester?" Sam asked.

"No, you have to choose out of three semesters when you want me to plan your party," Emily said as she watched Aaron sign the contract. "Ok, here's your copy to keep. Now let's get started."


	5. Chapter 5

Meeting you Ch. 5

October 1st

"Jen, I told you he wants nothing to do with the traditional Greek theme," Emily said as they talked about the Theta/Sigma crush party. "And I agree with him about having a casino theme; it would be cool. We could do blackjack, roulette, poker, a couple miniature slot machines, and a dance floor."

"But isn't that going to be expensive?" Jen asked as she looked at the budget that Emily had in front of her.

"Not really. We have $5,000 set aside for this crush party already. I bet if I asked Aaron if they had a poker table around their house, we wouldn't have to put anything down for that," Emily said as she grabbed her phone to call a few casino table rental places. "Besides most of the deals include the dealer's fees, as well."

"How do you have all the information on this stuff already? Haven't most of the parties that you've planned been the traditional Greek theme?" Jen asked as she watched Emily work her magic.

"Yes all of them have been the traditional Greek theme but when Aaron handed me his list of ideas, I started right on finding things out for a casino theme," Emily said as she wrote down figures next to her notes about a blackjack table and roulette wheel. "Give me ten minutes then I'll call you back with an answer about whether we are going to want your deal."

"He's offering a deal?" Jen asked.

"Yea, he'll throw in the poker table and slot machines for free," Emily said as she looked for Aaron's number in her phone. "I need to call Aaron to see if they have a poker table or not first though."

"Ok, if they don't then go ahead and take the deal," Jen said as she walked into the kitchen.

"You're seriously ok with us doing a casino crush party?" Emily said with a chuckle. "Hey, Aaron, it's Emily. I have a quick question for you about the crush party. Do you guys have a poker table at your house?"

"Not that I know of. Why?" Aaron asked as he looked at Sam.

"Because one of the rental places that I'm talking to is willing to throw in the poker table and slot machines for free if we rent the blackjack table and the roulette stuff," Emily said as she looked at her note pad. "I just wanted to check with you before I decided on this deal. Thanks, I'll let you go."

"Any clue when this party is going to be?" Sam asked as he took the phone from Aaron.

"I believe we are set on November 19th around 8 p.m. here in the backyard of our humble abode," Emily said as she looked at her watch. "I'll talk to you guys in class on Tuesday."

"I take it we're taking the deal?" Jen asked as she handed Emily an apple.

"Yea, as far as Aaron knows there is no poker table at the Sigma house," Emily said as she waited for someone at the rental place to pick up the phone.

October 31st

"Here are the invites for the party," Emily said as she handed one to Aaron and one to Sam. "Take a pack to give out to the guys in your house. I've even sent out ones to the guys who don't live on campus."

"These are great. How much did they cost you?" Aaron said as he placed the proffered pack in his backpack.

"Nothing except cardstock," Emily said as she grabbed her developmental psychopathology textbook. "We have a girl who is good with graphics and she offered to do them during her down time."

"Thank you for doing this," Aaron said as he looked at Emily.

"It was no problem. Now we best study because the next two weeks are going to be jam packed with making sure everything goes right with this party," Emily said as her cell phone rang. "Sorry, I have to take this. What, mother?"

"I'm coming into town for Thanksgiving this year and want to spend some time with you," Ambassador Prentiss said. "I'm having a big Thanksgiving dinner with a few other ambassadors and would like you to at least be present for that. I would also like it if you brought someone with you."

"So you really don't want to spend time with me; you just want to show me off to your friends," Emily said as she caught the double meaning from her mother. "Fine but I can't make it home until Wednesday afternoon and I'm not sure if I'll be bringing someone with me."

"Thank you, Emily," Ambassador Prentiss said before Emily hung up the phone.

"Great, just absolutely fucking great," Emily said as she sat back down with the guys. "Hey guys, I'm not feeling so great tonight. How about I leave you with my note cards to study, since I feel like heading home?"

"Everything ok?" Aaron asked surprised that Emily wasn't going to study with them tonight.

"Yea, just a phone call from my mother," Emily said as she packed her book and note book. "I'll see you both in class tomorrow."

November 14th

"Ok, the caterer is fine with the list of foods I sent over to him," Emily told Jen as they looked over the list of things that still needed to be rechecked for the party. "Sigma is bringing a couple kegs and we have all the stuff for mixed drinks. Now I have to go because I'm going to be late for my study group."

"Go, I think there are only a few things that can wait until later on this week," Jen said as Emily grabbed her bag. "You have done a great job on this and I thank you for helping."

"It was no problem. I knew that Aaron wasn't going to have time to plan while getting ready for graduation," Emily said as she left the house.

As Emily walked to the library, her cell phone went off.

"What mother?" Emily asked as she answered her phone. "I already said that I'd be at your party. What more are you going to ask of me?"

"I just wanted to know if you are going to be bringing someone with you," Ambassador Prentiss said as she held the phone away from her ear. "Ambassador Steffy, told me that Bianca is bringing her boyfriend home for the holiday with her."

"Yes, I know that Bianca is bringing her boyfriend to your dinner, mother," Emily said as she stood outside the library. "As of right now, no I am not bringing anyone with me. Now I have to go because I am late for my study group."

"Did you get the email about our test being tomorrow instead of next Tuesday?" Aaron asked Emily as she sat at their table.

"What?" Emily yelled.

"Quiet in the library," the reference librarian said from her desk.

"You have got to be kidding me," Emily said as Aaron showed her the email.

"Thanks for the invite to your Thanksgiving feast," Sam said as he watched Emily read over the email for a second time.

"What did he do to warrant an invite to Thanksgiving with the Prentiss family?" Aaron asked as Emily finally sat down.

"Looks like tonight is going to be a long one," Emily said as she pulled her textbook, notes, and note cards out. "And, Aaron, Sam happens to be Ambassador Steffy's daughter's boyfriend. That's how he managed to wrangle an invite."


	6. Chapter 6

Meeting You Ch. 6

November 17th

"Everything all set for this weekend?" Aaron asked Emily when he ran into her in the library.

"Yep, tables, tent, and dance floor will be delivered tomorrow and the rest will be at the house on Saturday morning," Emily said as she headed for a table.

"Any clue how I'm going to pay you back yet?" Aaron asked with a smile.

"I have a few ideas but I'm not sure which one just yet. I'll let you know on Saturday night," Emily said with a smirk.

Emily had a thought on Monday night after Aaron asked what Sam did to get an invite to the Prentiss family Thanksgiving. His parents were already scheduled to be there which meant that he was either spending the holiday with Haley or he was going to be stuck here. She could ask him to go to Thanksgiving with her as a friend or take the normal payment of four new released VHS's.

Haley's POV

She couldn't believe that her boyfriend was actually flirting with some other girl. She knew that the girl was planning the Theta/Sigma crush party for him so that he could focus on his studies and graduation; but it seemed like every time she happened upon them they were flirting with one another. Haley had heard from a few Theta girls that Emily Prentiss had had sex as payment for planning parties for other fraternities. Sure, she wasn't sure who she should believe but she really didn't like the way the girl looked at her boyfriend. She had tried to question Aaron on what his payment for her planning this party was but had gotten nowhere.

_Flashback_

"_Aaron, have you even asked her what she wants as payback for planning this crush party for you?" Haley asked as they cuddled on the Sigma couch._

"_Her contract says that I won't be told until the night of the party," Aaron said as he kissed the top of his girlfriend's head. "Why are you so worried about it?"_

"_I've heard rumors from other girls at Theta," Haley said as she looked up at him. "Things about her asking, other fraternity presidents, for sex as payment."_

"_Seriously, Haley? Do you believe everything that comes out of some of those girls mouths?" Aaron asked as he tried to keep his anger in check. "I know for a fact that Emily has never asked any fraternity president for sex as payment for planning a crush party."_

She couldn't wait until this party was done, then she remembered that Aaron was still part of a study group with Emily. And that he had only given her themes for the party and hadn't done anything to help plan it. She wanted this semester to be over with, because then Aaron wouldn't be spending time with Emily Prentiss, but then again she didn't, because then Aaron would be heading to law school and have even less time to spend with her.

"Everything ok?" Aaron asked Haley as they walked from the library towards her English class.

"Fine, why?" Haley asked as she shook her head.

"You're just really quiet today," Aaron said as he grabbed her hand.

"Aaron, we've been together for eight years now, do you think that we are meant to be together?" Haley asked as she sat on a bench near the building where her English class was.

"What brought this question on?" Aaron asked as he looked at his girlfriend's face.

"The way you've been acting with Emily Prentiss," Haley said as she stood to leave. "I think that we need to take a break from each other for a while."

1:30 a.m. November 18th

KNOCK, BANG!

"Who the hell is knocking this late at night?" Jen asked as she headed for the front door.

"Hello there, Theta President," said a very inebriated Aaron.

"Jen, who is it?" Emily said as she walked towards the foyer.

"Someone looking for you," Jen said as she watched Aaron head for the living room. "He's in the living room."

"Who is it?" Emily asked for a second time as she pulled her sweatshirt around her tighter.

"Emily," Aaron said as he tried to stand back up.

"What the hell are you doing here this late at night, Aaron?" Emily asked as she watched him carefully to make sure he didn't fall over the coffee table trying to get to her. "I need to call Sam. Jen, can you watch him for a minute?"

"Fine but then I'm going to bed," Jen said as she tried to get the very drunk guy to sit back down on the couch.

"Sam, mind telling me why I have the very drunk Sigma president sitting on my couch at this time of night?" Emily asked.

"Shit, I didn't think he'd actually head over there," Sam said as he pulled a pair of pants on. "He and Haley broke up this afternoon. She said it was about how he acts when he's around you."

"How he acts around me? He acts like a normal person," Emily said as she let things sink in.

"I think she's talking about how you guys flirt with one another," Sam said as he thought about how his friend acted around the raven haired girl.

"Emily," Aaron called from the living room.

"Sam, I suggest that you get over here to claim your president because I have a meeting tomorrow morning for the crush party," Emily said as she looked at the man sprawled out on the Theta living room floor trying to swim to her.

"I'm on my way," Sam said as he got into his car.

"Has he ever been this drunk?" Emily asked as Jen snickered in the background.

"Not that I've ever seen," Sam said as he pulled out of the Sigma shared driveway. "What's he doing, by the way?"

"Trying to swim across our living room floor to reach me," Emily said with a chuckle.

"Is the door unlocked?" Sam said as he parked out in front of the Theta house.

"Yea just knock once and then come in," Emily said as she hung up the phone and heard a knock on the front door. "Aaron, Sam's on his way to come and get you."

"Sam?" Aaron asked as he looked up from the floor to Emily.

"Aaron, what the hell do you think you are doing?" Sam asked as he took in the sight of his best friend drunk off his ass trying to swim across the floor.

"Came to talk Emily," Aaron said as he tried to string together a coherent sentence.

"That's nice but did you have to do it at 1:30 in the morning?" Sam asked as he grabbed Aaron's arm.

2 p.m. November 18th

Emily felt like she was going to pass out. She was so exhausted from having to deal with Aaron at 1:30 this morning and getting things completely finalized for the crush party tomorrow night. Sam hadn't been able to get Aaron to leave the Theta house until almost 6:30 this morning and when they did leave, she only had two hours to get some sleep. She had just gotten settled enough to fall asleep when the tent guys arrived.

"Em, why don't you go and take a nap?" Jen said as she looked at the exhausted girl. "I'll be fine finishing these things up."

"You barely got any sleep too," Emily said as she went over the menu yet again.

"Actually once you and Sam got Aaron situated on the couch, I headed back to bed," Jen said. "I had about six hours."

"Are you completely sure?" Emily asked as she yawned again.

"Yea, all that has to be done now is getting the poker, roulette, and blackjack tables set up," Jen said. "Besides that's why Sam sent these guys over to help. I promise to wake you up if we need anything."

"Fine," Emily shrugged as she headed into the house.

Within minutes of her head hitting the pillow, Emily was out.


	7. Chapter 7

Meeting You Ch. 7

**AN: Sorry I didn't update this yesterday because I was sick with the flu. Links for dresses and shoes are in my profile.**

8 a.m. November 19th

After a fulfilling eighteen hours of sleep, Emily was so ready for the day to begin. She had spent the last month getting things set up but today would be the first time that a casino crush party had been tried at Yale. She was nervous but excited as she looked out the kitchen window to see the caterer's arriving.

"Emily, where are you at?" Jen called from the tent.

"In the kitchen with the caterers," Emily said as she headed for the backyard. "What's up?"

"The bar people are here and want to know where to set up," Jen said as she looked at Emily.

"Put them in between the poker and blackjack tables," Emily said as she surveyed things under the tent.

"When are you getting ready?" Jen asked as she followed Emily back into the house.

"I was going to start around 4:30 since I am also helping Bianca with her hair," Emily said as she headed for her bedroom to change. "Did any of the Sigma guys, yesterday, say when they were going to be bringing the kegs over?"

"No, is there any way you could call Aaron or Sam about that?" Jen asked before Emily shut the door.

"I'll call after I get dressed," Emily said as she headed for her closet.

10 a.m.

"Bianca can you call Sam and ask him when the guys are going to be bringing the kegs over?" Emily asked as Bianca walked into the kitchen to get something to eat.

"Yea, just give me a minute," Bianca said as she looked for a place to sit and eat her bowl of cereal.

"Thanks," Emily said as she worked on her American Medicine paper.

"Hey, babe, what time are the guys bringing over the kegs?" Bianca asked over the phone.

"Aaron and the guys are picking them up around noon and will have them over to your house around one," Sam said as he looked through his closet. "Why?"

"Em and Jen were wondering because the kegs are the last things on their lists for the party," Bianca said as she sat on her bed.

"Why didn't she call Aaron?" Sam asked.

"She's working on a paper and I think she's embarrassed about what happened yesterday morning," Bianca said as she looked over at her friend.

"Any clue what her payment is, for planning the party?" Sam asked as he looked over at his best friend.

"Usually it's just 4 newly released VHS tapes but I think she had something else planned," Bianca said as she left her room. "She said something about Thanksgiving but nothing else."

"Aaron's parents called him yesterday and said that they accepted an invite to Ambassador Prentiss' Thanksgiving bash and that he could either spend the holiday with Haley or stay at the school," Sam said.

"Maybe she's going to invite him to spend Thanksgiving at her mother's bash since his family is going to be there," Bianca said. "Her mother has been bugging her to bring someone with her since I'm bringing you."

"I guess we'll find out tonight," Sam said. "I'll talk to you later, sweetheart."

"What was that about?" Aaron asked Sam as he wrote an article for the law section of the newspaper.

"Emily and Jen were wondering when we were going to bring the kegs over," Sam said as he went back to looking for something to wear in his closet. "What are you going to wear tonight?"

"Probably my navy blue button up shirt and a pair of khakis," Aaron said as he watched Sam sort through things in his closet. "Why were you talking about my Thanksgiving plans with Bianca?"

"Would you accept an invite to Ambassador Prentiss' Thanksgiving bash if one was offered?" Sam asked.

"Why would one be offered?" Aaron countered back.

"Bianca and I were just trying to figure out what your payment could be for having Emily plan this party. And since you were surprised that I got an invite, maybe Emily will invite you too," Sam said as he left the bedroom. "Look, just think about whether or not you'd accept the offer."

1 p.m. 

"Sam, call Emily and see where she wants us to take these," Aaron said as he parked the van.

"Thank God you guys are here. The kegs need to be taken out back," Emily said as she ran down the front steps. "The bar people have been asking about when you were bringing them. Aaron, Jen wants to see you out back. Sam, I actually need your help inside."

"What's going on?" Sam asked as he was dragged inside.

"We have a major problem. Our DJ cancelled on us and all the others are booked for tonight," Emily said as she started looking through the house CDs. "Do you know anyone who might be able to help, on campus?"

"Give me twenty minutes to work my magic," Sam said as he began making phone calls.

"Ok, I'll be outside making sure everything is alright," Emily said.

Ten minutes and two phone calls later, Sam had managed to find someone to DJ the party.

"My guy will be here around 6:30 to get set up," Sam said as he talked to Emily.

"Thank you so much," Emily said as she walked through the tent. "Everything looks great. Thanks for everything."

"No problem," Aaron said as he walked over toward them.

"Alright, I'll see everyone tonight," Emily said as she headed back inside to finish her paper before getting ready for the party.

7:30 p.m.

"Emily, some of the Sigma guys are here," Jen called into the house.

"Alright, I'll be right out," Emily said as she applied a small swipe of lip gloss to her lips.

"You ready to showcase your extreme genius for this party?" Bianca asked as she buckled her shoes. "Tonight is really your night to shine."

"Not at all ready to shine," Emily said as they headed for the back door. "Think this might equate into my bid for president next year?"

"It very well could," Jen said. "And I think that you would be a great president."

"Thanks," Emily said as she walked towards the group of Sigma's standing on the dance floor. "Hey, guys, thanks for coming. The party will start about 8 so if you want to look around go ahead. There's food in the house if you're hungry."

"How come you aren't dressed yet?" Jen asked.

"I had just finished with my hair and makeup when you told me that some of the Sigma's were here," Emily said as she headed back for the house. "I'll be back out in ten minutes."

7:50 p.m.

"Damn, I thought we were going to be early," Aaron said as he and Sam walked into the Theta's backyard.

"John, Jeff, and Will, came over early to make sure that the girls had everything set up," Sam said as he heard the DJ playing music and the slot machines dinging.

"Hey Aaron, Sam would you care to dance?" Bianca asked as they walked into the tented area of the backyard.

"Sure, my dear," Sam said as he left Aaron to his own devices.

"Hey, Jen, where's Emily at? I wanted to thank her again for doing this," Aaron asked as he looked around the ten.

"PanHellenic Council showed up and asked to talk to the mastermind of this party," Jen said as she motioned back towards the house. "She should be back out here in a few minutes."

"You guys did great. I thank you for not saying no to trying something so new," Aaron said as more people showed up. "Did you invite all the other sororities and fraternities on campus?"

"Yep," Jen said before she went to mingle with another fraternity president.

Five minutes and one major approval later, Emily had managed to join the party only to be stolen away by Delta's president.

"So I heard that you were the mastermind and party planner of this event," Pete said as they sat down at one of the tables.

"Yes, I planned it but I was given the idea by Sigma's president, Aaron Hotchner," Emily said as she watched people play the slots.

"I want you to plan a Delta/Theta crush party for next semester," Pete said as he looked at her.

"Pete, it really isn't up to me. You have to talk to Jen to get her permission," Emily said as she stood up. "Once she gives me her ok then I can give you my contract and have you give me ideas for themes."

"What did Pete want?" Bianca asked as Emily stopped to talk for a minute.

"He wants me to plan a Delta/Theta crush party for next semester, but he hadn't talked to Jen yet," Emily said as she grabbed a martini.

"Back to martinis, I see," Sam said as he wrapped his arms around Bianca.

"Hey, Sam," Emily said as she looked around the tent. "All your guys here?"

"Most of them. There were some that couldn't make it," Sam said before Emily headed for the blackjack table.

As her second hand of the night began, someone sat down next to her.

"Well, well, if it isn't the master party planner," Haley said.

"What can I do for you, Haley?" Emily asked as the dealer flipped over his cards.

"Stop flirting with my boyfriend for one," Haley said as she had the dealer deal her in. "Two, quit acting like your miss high and mighty and haven't asked for sex from the other fraternity presidents for planning these parties."

"For one thing, I am not flirting with your boyfriend, even though now he's your ex. I'm acting how I normally would with any guy," Emily said as she won another hand. "And for another, I really didn't want to believe that someone like you would believe all the shit that you hear from other girls mouths. Have a good night."


	8. Chapter 8

Meeting You Ch. 8

"What's she doing here?" Sam asked Emily as she headed for the bar.

"She was invited before they broke up and I cannot rescind an invite," Emily said as she grabbed another martini. "I kind of thought that she wasn't going to show up but it is just my luck. Did you know that it wasn't just how I act?"

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked as he grabbed a beer.

"She broke up with him because she's worried about what his payment maybe for having me plan this party," Emily said as she watched the people on the dance floor. "She heard the rumors about me supposedly asking for sex as payment from other fraternity presidents."

"Is that seriously what your payment is?" Sam asked with a smirk on his face.

"Yea, sure, the girl whose only had sex once and it was considered rape, was left for pregnant by her stupid asshole of an ex-boyfriend, and had an abortion all before the age of 16; is asking all the fraternity presidents for sex after planning a crush party," Emily said as she led Sam onto the dance floor.

"That all seriously happened to you?" Sam asked as they danced to Tim McGraw's _Don't Take the Girl._

"Yep and that's one of the few reasons I don't trust too many guys," Emily said as he spun her.

"So what's with me and Aaron then?" Sam asked.

"I'm not sure really," Emily said before heading back towards the blackjack table.

"So what is your payment going to be?" Sam said as he sat down next to her.

"My standard payment is usually four newly released VHS tapes," Emily said as she watched the dealer. "I do have something else in mind for Aaron though."

"And what would that be?" Haley asked as he sat down again. "Sex?"

"No, it would be an invite to Ambassador Prentiss' Thanksgiving bash, since his parents are going to be there and so that he isn't stuck here for the holiday," Emily said as the dealer busted. "Haley, let's get one thing straight. You know absolutely nothing about me; so you have no right to judge me. And I suggest you stop saying that I want sex from your ex-boyfriend because I really doubt that Aaron would like to hear that I kicked you out of the party."

"You wouldn't dare," Haley said.

"See that's another thing you don't know about me. People around here take my threats very seriously," Emily said as she headed for the house.

After five minutes of deep breathing and a quick meditation cycle, as advised by her therapist 5 years ago, Emily finally felt ready to head back out to the party. As she walked out of her room, she ran head first into someone.

"Are you ok?" Aaron said as he looked at the girl in front of him. "Emily, is everything ok?"

"Oh, hey, Aaron. Everything's just fine," Emily said as she walked towards the kitchen. "Did you need something?"

"I've been looking for you," Aaron said as he watched Emily grab a glass of water. "Are you sure everything is alright?"

"Why were you looking for me?" Emily asked as she sipped her water. "Everything's fine."

"I wanted to thank you for everything that you have done, not just for the party but also for agreeing to help Sam and I study for developmental psychopathology," Aaron said as they headed outside.

"Like I've said before, it's not a problem," Emily said as she sat at the blackjack table.

"You're going to make me ask for it aren't you?" Aaron asked as the dealer dealt them both a hand.

"Yep," Emily said as she signaled the dealer to hit her 12.

"What is the payment for your planning this party?" Aaron asked as he stood with 20.

"Well since I know for a fact that your parents have accepted an invite to Ambassador Prentiss' Thanksgiving bash, so I thought that since Bianca and Sam were coming with me, I'd invite you so that you won't be stuck on campus for Thanksgiving," Emily said as the dealer placed an 8 on her 12. "I would need to know by Monday night since I plan to head out around noon on Tuesday afternoon."

"Seriously?" Aaron asked as the dealer flipped his cards showing a 20 as well.

"It's either that or my standard four newly released VHS tapes," Emily said as the dealer dealt another hand. "I figured that the first payment would be better for the both of us. It'll take about six hours maybe a little longer depending on traffic."

"You seriously don't mind me joining in on your holiday traditions?" Aaron asked as Emily got blackjack.

"What holiday traditions?" Emily asked as another hand was dealt. "I've spent the last three years here at school for Thanksgiving. This is the first year in forever that my parents have even spent anywhere near the U.S. for Thanksgiving."

"When was the last time you just did something fun with your parents?" Aaron asked as Emily walked over toward the normal tables they had set up.

"The last time that we actually did anything remotely together that didn't have anything to deal with my mother's Ambassador duties would have to have been when I was five and it was just before my mother became the Ambassador," Emily said as she took another sip of her water. "Just let me know before Monday night so that I can call Helga and let her know to have an extra bedroom ready for you."

"I'll go. You're right about me being stuck here for Thanksgiving since my parents accepted your mother's invitation for her Thanksgiving bash," Aaron said.

"Ok, well I'll see you on Tuesday around noon," Emily said as Jen waved her over to talk.

Tuesday 11:30 a.m.

"Do you have everything ready to go?" Emily asked as she walked into her bedroom to find Bianca lounging on her bed. "Aaron called and said that he and Sam would be over in fifteen minutes so that we can pack the car."

"My bag was the one you most likely tripped over when you walked in the front door," Bianca said without looking up from her book. "Now do you have everything that you'll need for this long weekend with your family?"

"Don't remind me. I have everything packed but I have a feeling that I will be making at least one trip to the liquor store this weekend," Emily said as she dragged her suitcase out into the foyer.

"Emily," Aaron called into the deserted Theta house. "You girls in here?"

"We'll be right out," Bianca called from the back of the house. "I can't wait to see your mother's face when she sees that you brought Aaron Hotchner with you for Thanksgiving."

"She already knows that he's just coming as a friend and that he was going to be stuck here since his parents accepted her invite for Thanksgiving," Emily said as they walked toward the living room. "Jen's allowing us to use her Jeep for this drive since I truly doubt that my car would be able to fit us all and our suitcases."

"How long is the drive going to take?" Sam asked as he placed the suitcases in the back of the Jeep.

"It all depends on traffic but it should be just under six hours if the traffic is good. We should get to the house about 6, just in time for dinner," Emily said as everyone piled into the car. "I figured that we'd pick up two pizzas and a few pops from Golden Rock before heading out."

Six hours later

Emily was finally glad to be in Washington. Sure it meant having to deal with her mother but it also meant getting out of the car; once they got to the house. The drive hadn't been that unbearable but it also wasn't the easiest. At first the guys had talked about sports before Aaron started reading one of his law textbooks and Sam pulled out his CD player. Bianca had been asleep since just after they got on the New Jersey Turnpike; which left Emily with listening to the silence that filled the Jeep.

"Ok, guys, I'm going to warn you now. The house is huge and I still get lost at times, even though I've lived here for the past three summers," Emily said as she turned into the Kent subdivision.

"How big is this place?" Sam asked as he looked at the other houses in the subdivision.

"Let me see if I can get it right," Bianca said as she turned to look at the guys. "It has seven bedrooms, ten bathrooms, a ballroom, pool/guesthouse, and a gym. There is a ton more but I'm willing to bet that Emily will give us a tour after we eat dinner."

"Here we are," Emily said as she pulled up to the security gate. "Emily Prentiss, Bianca Steffy, Sam Kassmeyer, and Aaron Hotchner here for the weekend."

"Em, welcome back. I think this is the first Thanksgiving that you've spent here," James, the security guard, said as he had her sign the guest sheet.

"Hey, James, Mother decided to do a Thanksgiving bash this year and I was requested to make an appearance," Emily said before driving up the driveway.

"How many stories is this place?" Aaron asked as Emily pulled around to the garage.

"Six stories," Emily said as she pushed the garage door opener. "Looks like dad brought home a new acquisition."

"Is that the new Aston Martin DB7?" Sam asked as they got out of the car.

"You'll have to ask my father that one; he's the car nut," Emily said as she closed the garage. "Let's head inside. Helga will most likely have dinner on the table soon."

Aston Martin DB7

aston_martin/1994-db7/


	9. Chapter 9

Meeting You Ch. 9

**AN: I'm back y'all! Sorry it's taken me forever to write again (truth be told, I've had this chapter done since December and thought that I had posted it but just noticed that it wasn't up… so here it is) . This last semester was a major pain in the butt for me but now I'm off until the end of September; so I have major plans for this story and the others that I have started. Just a quick note, I will probably be writing more of this story first because I'm coming to the point in Consequences where Bianca shows up. **

"Miss Emily, Miss Bianca, is that you two?" Helga said as she took in the four people who just walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, Helga, how have things been around here?" Emily said as she looked in the oven to see what the housekeeper was making for dinner. "Where's Quincy?"

"Things have been hectic since the Ambassador came home," Helga said as she shooed the group out into the family room. "Quincy's been helping me get thing ready for the Thanksgiving party that your mother is throwing. And who are these fine young men?"

"This is Sam Kassmeyer, Bianca's boyfriend, and Aaron Hotchner," Emily said as both guys shook the housekeepers hand. "They are both here for the Thanksgiving bash."

"I'll let you get settled in. Dinner will be done in ten minutes," Helga said as she stirred the potatoes.

"Will my parents be joining us for dinner?" Emily asked before exiting the family room.

"As far as I know, they will be," Helga said as the group headed for the stairs.

"Thanks. Bianca, since you already know where you're staying, I'm going to show the guys to their rooms first," Emily said as they made it to the third floor.

"Where are you putting them?" Bianca asked as she thought about the rooms on the third floor.

"The two bedrooms, up front, with the sitting room in between," Emily said as she placed her suitcase in her bedroom. "Go ahead and put your suitcase in your room. Come on, guys, your rooms are down here."

"Mistress Emily, so good to see you," Quincy said as he walked out of the laundry room.

"Quincy, it's nice to see you too. Mother's going all out this year?" Emily said as she gestured to Quincy's armful of white silk tablecloths.

"Yes, she wanted to do another charity fundraiser and thought that Thanksgiving would be a perfect time for one," Quincy said as he headed for the stairs to head up to the ballroom.

"How many people work here?" Aaron asked as they walked into the sitting room.

"Helga and Quincy are the full time help and are here constantly," Emily said. "I'll let you two decide who gets what room. When you're ready to head back downstairs, just meet me by my room."

Ten minutes later

"Have the guys shown up yet?" Bianca asked as she walked into Emily's room.

"Nope and I was just about to go check on them," Emily said as she hung her party dress up.

"Brought an extra just in case?" Bianca said as she looked at the dress.

"My mother has a totally different sense of style than I do and knowing her picks, they will be horrible," Emily said as she closed her suitcase. "Let's go see what the guys are doing."

"Hey, are you guys ready for dinner?" Aaron said as they met the girls outside of Emily's room. "Are we going to get a tour after dinner?"

"Come on, we'd best not keep my parental units waiting," Emily said as she headed down the stairs. "Yes, I'll give you a tour once dinner is done. Mother, father, I'd like to introduce Aaron Hotchner and Sam Kassmeyer."

"Welcome to our home," Ambassador Prentiss said before shooting her a look saying that she'd have to explain later. "Bianca, it's so nice to see you again."

"Same here, Ambassador, Mr. Prentiss," Bianca said as she sat down next to Sam.

"Hey, dad, the guys were admiring the new acquisition when we pulled into the garage downstairs," Emily said as she sat down across from her mother placing Aaron in between her and her father.

"Big fans of the Aston Martin DB7?" Richard Prentiss asked.

"Like to look but that's about it," Aaron said as Helga brought out the salads.

"So tell us a little about yourselves," Ambassador Prentiss said as she looked over at Sam. "It's not often, Emily, brings friends home with her."

Emily fought the urge to roll her eyes at her mother's claims.

"Well, Elizabeth, it may not be, seeing as we only see Emily two months a year," Richard said as he watched Emily smirk at her mother.

"I'm originally from North Dakota currently on scholarship at Yale studying Law but unlike Aaron, I'll probably head into law enforcement," Sam said as he watched the exchange between Emily and her mother.

"And you, Aaron?" Elizabeth Prentiss said as she turned her eyes on the man sitting next to her daughter.

"You already know my parents. I'm from South Carolina but my parents moved to New York two years ago. I'm currently studying Law at Yale and want to be a prosecutor," Aaron said.

"So how do you all know each other?" Elizabeth said as she watched her daughter.

"Sam, Aaron and I are all in the same developmental psychopathology class," Emily said knowing the rise it would get out of her mother.

"I don't believe that that class was part of your curriculum for this semester, Emily," Elizabeth said. "That has nothing to do with linguistics. We'll discuss this later."

"Fine, mother," Emily said as she withheld a chuckle.

30 minutes and a four course meal later

"I'm going to take Aaron and Sam on a tour of the house," Emily said as her mother and father walked into the library.

"Once you're done with that, meet me in the library to talk," Elizabeth said with a scowl.

"Fine, mother," Emily said with a sigh.

"She doesn't seem happy that you're taking the developmental psychopathology class," Sam said as she led them from the dining room to outside.

"You didn't tell him?" Emily asked Aaron as she led them around to the back of the house.

"No, I didn't know if you wanted me to," Aaron said as he caught sight of the pool and pool house.

"What are you two talking about?" Bianca said as Sam's eyes bulged.

"Remember the night that I found out that Aaron was Sigma's president? Well he asked why I was taking developmental psychopathology and I told him it was because it upsets my mother," Emily said as she walked into the pool house. "This is the pool house. My cousin will most likely be staying here when he gets in tomorrow."

40 minutes and 6 stories, eight bedrooms, gym, and a sauna later

"Damn this place is huge," Sam said as Emily led them back down to the family room where the main TV was located.

"I said that when we pulled into the subdivision," Emily said as she turned the TV and fireplace on. "I'll be back in ten minutes."

In the Library

"Why the hell are you taking another psychology class?" Elizabeth yelled at Emily.

"Because I know that it gets to you and because I said that I don't want to go into politics like you," Emily said as she sat on the black leather sofa. "You want me to do what you want and nothing what I want."

"Why is Aaron Hotchner here?" Richard asked as he stoked the fire.

"He was going to be stuck at school, like I have been for the past three years, because his parents accepted mother's invite to her Thanksgiving bash," Emily said as she looked at her father.

"Are you dating him?" Elizabeth asked as she slowly calmed down.

"No, he was just dumped by his girlfriend of seven years on Thursday night," Emily said as she stood to leave. "I'm going to head back into the family room and watch TV before bed. Tomorrow, we might go to a few museums in D.C."

Wednesday morning 10a.m.

"Ok, I told my mother that we'd stay out of the way by going to a few museums in D.C.," Emily said as the group sat down for breakfast.

"Which museums did you have in mind?" Bianca said as Helga brought in bagels and eggs. "Is there any way we can stop over at my parents place; Sam wants to see my house?"

"Her house is almost as big as this place," Emily said as she spread peanut butter on her bagel. "When she's home, she lives in downtown D.C. I was thinking about the National Museum of Natural History, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the National Museum of American History."

"What is the dress code for tomorrow night, by the way?" Sam asked after breakfast.

"Shit, please tell me that you guys brought suits," Emily said as entered the garage.

"Not tuxes?" Aaron asked.

"No, Ambassador Prentiss is ok with suits for Thanksgiving," Bianca said they left Emily's home.

"We'll stop off at your place first, Bianca," Emily said as they began the fifteen minute trip to the Steffy mansion.

**AN2: Read and Review please! I'm hoping to have the next chapter of this and Consequences within the next week as long at nothing goes wrong.**


End file.
